Aston Martin found an unexpected way to outperform Ferrari in acceleration at Sepang despite continuing to struggle with a significant Honda power-unit deficit. The AMR26 remained the slowest car through the Malaysian speed traps, but shorter gear ratios allowed Fernando Alonso to extract considerably stronger acceleration through third, fourth and fifth gear.
The approach formed part of Aston Martin’s strongest weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Both cars reached Q2 for the first time this year, while Fernando Alonso finished eighth to secure both his and the team’s best race result of the campaign. The performance came without a new aerodynamic upgrade package, placing greater attention on changes elsewhere in the car.
Aston Martin finds performance without an aerodynamic upgrade
Sepang’s characteristics were more favourable to the AMR26 than several previous circuits, but the improvement was also linked to technical work carried out by Aston Martin. Honda’s power unit remains significantly down on performance despite upgrades, leaving the team at a disadvantage whenever outright straight-line speed becomes decisive.
That weakness was still visible in Malaysia. Speed-trap figures showed Aston Martin at the bottom of the order on the straights, yet its deficit had been reduced to only a couple of tenths. At certain points on the long acceleration zones, the AMR26 was even able to perform more strongly than George Russell’s Mercedes.
A major part of that progress was attributed to the gearbox introduced in Baku. The revised unit reduced the car’s weight by around 15 kilograms, providing a useful improvement even before considering the way Aston Martin subsequently adapted its gearing.
Shorter gear ratios help compensate for Honda power deficit
Aston Martin is well aware that it cannot currently rely on the Honda engine to match its rivals at the highest speeds. Instead of focusing solely on maximum velocity, the team shortened the AMR26’s gear ratios to extract more of the available power during acceleration.
The objective was to use the power unit more effectively at lower speeds rather than chasing a top-speed figure the car was unlikely to achieve. Aston Martin remains particularly vulnerable once speeds rise beyond 300 km/h, so the technical compromise was designed to reduce the deficit from around 250 km/h upwards.
That philosophy produced a notable result through the lower and middle gears. In third, fourth and fifth, the AMR26 was reported to accelerate more strongly than Ferrari. The difference helps explain the bursts of pace Fernando Alonso displayed at Sepang and his ability to progress through the field.
The contrast is particularly notable given Ferrari’s own continuing concern over outright power and straight-line performance. Lewis Hamilton has previously highlighted the remaining Ferrari power deficit despite progress elsewhere on the car, making Aston Martin’s ability to gain ground through gearing an interesting comparison between two very different technical approaches.
Why Aston Martin can accelerate better but still lose at top speed
The Malaysian performance illustrates the compromise created by shorter ratios. By keeping the engine in a more useful part of its operating range, Aston Martin can improve the rate at which the AMR26 builds speed. That does not eliminate the underlying Honda power deficit, however, and the car becomes more exposed once the advantage from acceleration gives way to the need for maximum velocity.
In effect, the team has attempted to strengthen the area where it can make the most effective use of the power currently available rather than trying to disguise the power unit’s weakness entirely. That approach helped produce Aston Martin’s most competitive weekend of the season without relying on fresh aerodynamic parts.
The wider development battle remains particularly important under the 2026 regulations, with power-unit performance and car efficiency both shaping how teams exploit different circuit profiles. Further developments around Ferrari’s side of that equation can be followed through the ScuderiaFans Ferrari technical analysis.
Ferrari still takes stronger Sepang result
Aston Martin’s acceleration advantage in specific gears did not translate into a better overall result than Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton finished third in Malaysia, while Charles Leclerc took fourth, giving the Maranello team a strong points haul despite an early strategic problem.
The result nevertheless gives Aston Martin encouragement because its gains arrived while the Honda power unit remained one of the AMR26’s major limitations. The recent engine development picture also remains significant, with Honda continuing to work on further power-unit progress.
For Ferrari, being outperformed by Aston Martin in a specific acceleration window is a reminder that competitive differences do not always follow the overall finishing order. A car can remain slower at maximum speed while still gaining time during the phases leading towards it, particularly when gearing is deliberately configured around that weakness.
Fernando Alonso capitalises on Aston Martin’s strongest 2026 weekend
Fernando Alonso made the most of the improved package to finish eighth. Oscar Piastri described the Spaniard as a master of chaos during the Sepang weekend, and the result provided Aston Martin with its clearest sign yet that the AMR26 can become more competitive when circuit characteristics and technical compromises align.
However, the Malaysian progress does not remove the team’s fundamental limitation. Honda’s power unit remains both slow and unreliable according to the assessment presented, restricting how far Aston Martin can progress through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027 unless the engine situation improves.
The shortened ratios and lighter gearbox therefore represent an effective way of mitigating part of the problem rather than eliminating it. Sepang showed that Aston Martin can use the AMR26’s available performance more efficiently and even gain an acceleration advantage over Ferrari in certain gears, but outright power remains the larger obstacle Adrian Newey and the team still have to work around.
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